Last night, tears welled up in my eyes whileI brushed my teeth reflecting on my quality of life. I was thinking about allthe things I can’t do anymore that I used to love. Between my sobriety, stroke,and vestibular disorder, my world looks completely different than it did lessthan a decade ago. Last night, my world seemed much slower and smaller.

I thought getting sober in 2016 meant I’dnever have fun again and wouldn’t be any fun to be around. Now, on top of that,my disability limits where I can go and what I can tolerate visually andphysically. It’s so easy to slip into self-pity, stacking up all the thingsI’ve lost. But this morning, I remembered that similar feeling in earlysobriety and that my life only got better after that. I still have control overhow I shape my joy just as I did when I got sober.

The real question I’ve been asking myselftoday is, “am I seeking joy, or am I seeking validation?” When I write, recordmy podcast, and share ways that folks in recovery can still enjoy life, am Idoing the same for myself? My focus in stroke recovery shifted from chasingexternal markers of success to simply showing up for myself and others.Recovery requires me to be honest about what I’ve lost but also what I’vegained. When joy feels like it no longer fits, mold it, like playdough, intosomething that contours to where you are today.

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Visit my Etsy shop, Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling

Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ oremail me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.

For more information about vestibulardisorders, visit https://vestibular.org.

#PlaydoughPerspective #MoldYourJoy#ShapingHappiness #RecoveryJourney #OneDayAtATime #StrokeRecovery#VestibularWarrior #SobrietyLife #FindingJoyAgain #ReshapeYourLife

I’m an expert at feeling discouraged. That’stypical for someone who is always looking for immediate gratification. When Ifirst got sober, I wanted to fix everything overnight. My emotions, my past, andmy relationships were terribly raw when I removed the cover of alcohol. Whenthings didn’t change fast enough, discouragement crept in, and I consideredgiving up on the whole recovery thing. But discouragement is a reminder thatI’m human and that failure IS a realistic option. When I slide down the slipperyslope of discouragement into self-pity, I’m trying to control too much insteadof surrendering.

As the Daily Reflection today states, thereis a power within me is far greater than any fear before me, but I must acceptmy limitations to unleash hope.

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Visit my Etsy shop, Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling

Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ oremail me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.

For more information about vestibulardisorders, visit https://vestibular.org.

#KeepComingBack #RecoveryJourney#OneDayAtATime #SobrietyStruggles #HopeOverFear #TrustTheProcess#HealingTakesTime #RecoveryIsPossible #ProgressNotPerfection #StrengthInSharing

When I started going to sobriety meetings, I didn’t understand why people said, “keep coming back.” Very little made sense to me back then. I was desperate and scared, and nothing anyone said seemed to change how I felt. I was listening, I was taking suggestions, but I didn’t see how just showing up to meetings was supposed to do anything. But I kept going anyway out of desperation, and I heard people share about their own fear and desperation, and then their strength and hope. If their fear could evolve into hope, why couldn’t mine?

So, I kept coming back. Even when sat in my recliner on Saturday mornings telling myself I didn’t want to go, I would get up, put one foot in front of the other, and go anyway. Those tiny actions built the momentum to get me where I needed to go. The more I listened, I related in and feared what could happen if I drank again. I heard people talk about faith, that it didn’t have to look like anyone else’s, and that’s when mine started growing too. I realized that going to meetings was connecting with others just like me and getting honest with myself. Now, when I hear “keep coming back,” I know what it means. It means who I am today will evolve when I keep showing up for life and remain open to help and honest about how I feel.

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Visit my Etsy shop, Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling

Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.

For more information about vestibular disorders, visit https://vestibular.org.

#KeepComingBack #SobrietyJourney #OneDayAtATime #RecoveryIsPossible #AlcoholFreeLife #SoberLiving #FaithInRecovery #MomentumMatters #HonestHealing #ShowingUpForLife

Many drunken years ago, I used to post 11:11 on Facebook. It never failed that I looked at the clock at 11:11 each night. I created this narrative, convincing myself that it was a sign I was exactly where I needed to be.

You know by now that there are times in my recovery when I feel completely lost. I do everything “right”, showing up for sobriety meetings, recording my podcast, sticking to my routines, and increasingly it seems all pointless. My growth and daily life happen in quiet, unremarkable ways, and it can feel mundane. So how do I recalibrate my internal compass when I feel directionless?

We can lose our way when there are setbacks, plateaus, and unexpected challenges. I see others succeeding in a life that I thought I would have. I feel that my health has aged ten years in the past three. We don’t always know the way, but we can build trust even when we feel lost. I recalibrate by checking in with my emotions, remembering my core values, celebrating small wins, and allowing myself to struggle without judgement.

When have that familiar feeling of directionlessness (is that a word?) I use daily micro-actions to create momentum. Feeling lost doesn’t mean I’m not exactly where I need to be.

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Visit my Etsy shop, Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling

Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.

For more information about vestibular disorders, visit https://vestibular.org.

#RecoveryCompass #FindingYourWay #SobrietyJourney #StrokeRecovery #MentalHealthMatters #TrustTheProcess #OneDayAtATime #PersonalGrowth #HealingHappens #KeepMovingForward

If you lost the use of your hands and piano was your passion, would you find another way to play? Think about something you love. What if, one day, you could no longer do it? Would you adapt, find a creative solution, or resign yourself to living without it?

I’ve found creative solutions despite my limitations, but I constantly test my physical boundaries. Over the past week, I’ve had moments where I felt the symptoms creeping in and managed to stop and set a boundary. But more often, I plow through until I crash. My psychiatrist suggests proactive coping, taking care of myself before I’m forced to. It’s tough to shift my mindset from seeing rest as a consequence to treating it as a preemptive part of my recovery, like medication or therapy.

When recognizing red flags in sobriety, like being uncomfortable at a happy hour and knowing it was time to leave, my body gives me signals to stop an activity before the pain sets in. The warning signs are sometimes hot flashes, sharp pains behind my eyes, or like I just put on grandpa’s bottlecap eyeglasses.

We can apply the same principle applies to mental health. Instead of waiting until we’re drowning in a dark place, we can intentionally check in with ourselves, process emotions, and take action before we spiral.

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Visit my Etsy shop, Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling

Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.

For more information about vestibular disorders, visit https://vestibular.org.

#ProactiveCoping, #SelfCareMatters, #ListenToYourBody, #HealingJourney, #VestibularRecovery, #StrokeSurvivor, #MentalHealthMatters, #PacingNotPushing, #RestIsMedicine, #BalanceInRecovery.

I create my own playbook for stroke and vestibular recovery, figuring out how to handle triggering situations. In sobriety, it’s straightforward—I can’t drink, no exceptions. But with my vestibular disorder, I can’t just cut out the world around me. Life moves, and I have to find a way to function without pushing myself past the point of no return. Sometimes, I don’t realize I’ve gone too far until it’s too late, and I’m stuck in bed paying the price.

My body doesn’t care what I want. If I push too hard, it pushes back. The temptation to test my limits is always there, whether it’s walking too far with my dogs or sneaking a peek at the TV when the Commanders score a touchdown. But every time I ignore the warning signs, I regret it minutes later when pain and a concussion-like discomfort take over. I have to turn off my “wanter,” listen to my body, and replace impulse with principles. Sticking to my recovery playbook fully, with no exceptions, is an act of surrendering to what I can’t control. In sobriety, serenity came from surrender, and I trust it will be the same in stroke and vestibular recovery.

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Visit my Etsy shop, Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling

Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.

For more information about vestibular disorders, visit https://vestibular.org.

#StrokeRecovery #VestibularDisorder #BrainHealing #Neuroplasticity #InvisibleIllness #RecoveryJourney #BalanceMatters #ListenToYourBody #ChronicIllness #PaceYourself #OneDayAtATime

I slept 12 ½ hours in the past 24 hours. My brain needs rest, but no matter how much I sleep, I still wake up in a concussion-like fog with headaches and visual sensitivity. Sleep is one of the most critical yet frustrating aspects of stroke recovery. I know that sleep is necessary for neuroplasticity, and my brain is actively healing while I rest. However, with all this rest I start to feel like I’m being lazy. It’s a balancing act, for sure, between being active enough to progress, not pushing myself past the point of regression, and knowing when to stop and rest.

In a society that glorifies pushing through fatigue for the sake of success, I’ve had to retrain myself to understand that rest is an active part of recovery. While I sleep, my brain is locking in progress, reinforcing new pathways through neuroplasticity, like pressing the ‘save’ button. In stroke recovery, even in stillness, healing continues.

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Visit my Etsy shop, Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling

Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.

#StrokeRecovery #HealingTakesTime #BrainHealth #Neuroplasticity #RestIsRecovery #InvisibleIllness #FatigueIsReal #ListenToYourBody #OneDayAtATime #SelfCompassion

There was a guy in my IOP class who sat next to me, and we became friends. He was really funny, and we connected about our hilarious drunk experiences even though we were there to get sober. He ended up getting kicked out of the class for not passing the urine test one morning. He argued that the test was not accurate. A year or two later, he died of our disease.

There are several people from Loudon County High school who have also died as a result of invisible illnesses. Their inner struggle is one I understand. This fact and my stroke are what led me to recover out loud. Some people have a longer, harder fight while others never recover. Some struggle to believe in themselves, while others have no one who believes in them.

Seeing others relapse is heartbreaking but also reminds me of why I stay. I can’t save anyone, but I can control my praise and support. The best thing I can do for others is choose life each day and stay sober myself to be an example that recovery is possible.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube.

Visit my Etsy shop, Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling

Visit me at ⁠⁠⁠recoverydailypodcast.com⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠rachel@recoverydailypodcast.com⁠.

#RecoveryIsPossible #ChooseLife #SobrietyJourney #BreakTheCycle #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone #SupportNotStigma #InvisibleIllness #StaySober #HopeInRecovery